Shadow of the Panther Slot - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

Shadow of the Panther is an innovative and compelling video slots game brought to you by High 5, a company that’s gaining a reputation for crafting high-quality online casino games that can be enjoyed across all devices and platforms. That means that you can enjoy playing their fun and immersive games at home or at work on your desktop or laptop, as well as enjoying playing all of your favourite online slots games on the go on your mobile and tablet. Wherever, and however, you choose to play, you’re guaranteed a fun and entertaining experience - and if luck’s on your side you could even end up with a winning virtual prize pot too!

Why You’ll Enjoy Playing Shadow of the Panther

The majority of online casino games always seem to have been created with men in mind, but thanks to innovative gaming brands such as High 5, nowadays the ladies are seeing an increase in titles that appeal equally to them. Shadow of the Panther appeals to men and women alike, although female players are likely to be most appreciative of the game’s hero, who is dark, brooding and handsome and clearly has some secrets to reveal during the course of gameplay.

You don’t need to have any previous experience of playing online slots games to enjoy all the great features of Shadow of the Panther, so it’s a great starting point for complete newbies to the genre. Seasoned players will also appreciate the gaming parameters that allow you to place even quite modest bets, meaning that you can concentrate on the gameplay rather than worry about whether your virtual prize pot is growing or depleting fast. And thanks to Slots Temple’s free play facility, you don’t have to bet any real coins at all, allowing you to enjoy all the features of the game while you decide whether or not it’s something that you might choose to play at your favourite online casino for real money.

You’ll find that Shadow of the Panther is packed with innovative features, including Split Symbols and Super Stacks, which increase your chances of winning as well as providing you with additional thrills as you watch your virtual prize pot increasing.

Do You Dare Venture into the Jungle?

From the moment that the game starts loading, you just know that you’re in for a treat. The game takes you to a remote part of the jungle where the hero leads his bizarre life as part man, part panther. We never learn the name of this mysterious stranger, but his haunting eyes tell us all that we need to know about his previous life - this is a man who has heard and seen things that most mortals never dare to dream of. Across his face are two claw marks, clearly made by a member of the Big Cat family - are these the marks that bestow on him the ability to change into a panther at will?

Shadow of the Panther takes you deep into the jungle, with the playing area superimposed over the brooding darkness of a twilight scene. With five reels spread across three rows, this is a fairly typical online slots game layout, but the symbols are very different from anything that you will have seen before, with amazing attention to detail making it a visual feast for the eyes.

You’ll find the usual playing card symbols on the reels, which provide the lowest returns when you land three or more of a matching icon across a winning payline, starting from the left-most reel. For this game, the playing cards are restricted to the Ace, King and Queen, although in some games of this type they often feature the Jack, 10 and 9 too. Simply delineated in bright colours, with clean lines, the simplicity of these icons allows the other symbols to really shine out across the reels.

Next come three ornate jewels with precious stones set into intricately carved silver settings. Look closely and you’ll see that the precious jewels closely resemble the eyes of a Big Cat, which serves as a warning about the dangers that also lurk within the reels.

Offering even higher rewards are the symbols representing the leopard, jaguar and panther, as well as the brooding hero of the game himself. In a unique twist, these four symbols can also appear as double symbols, which aren’t just there for effect - each double symbol counts as two separate symbols, leading to potentially much higher wins, as you could achieve up to ten matching symbols across one winning payline, delivering you with an exceptionally high virtual payout for your efforts. But whether they appear as singles or doubles, all of these symbols start rewarding you when you achieve just two matching symbols on consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel.

No self-respecting online slots game would be without a Wild symbol, and in Shadow of the Panther it’s the game’s logo, depicted in a blue font with two panther eyes peering out. The Wild can substitute for any other symbol on the reels, apart from the Scatter, bringing you a win where otherwise there would have been none.

The imposing statue of a man with the head of a panther acts as the game’s Scatter symbol, and like the Big Cat symbols it can also appear as a twin symbol, with two effigies on one symbol.

How to Play Shadow of the Panther

Whether you’re an experienced player or a complete beginner, it won’t take you long to master the game’s controls. You’ll find all of the controls at the bottom of the playing area, and you can adjust the parameters as frequently as you like to customise the game according to your desires.

Starting from the bottom left-hand corner of your console, you can decide on the number of paylines that you’d like to include, which can be set anywhere between 1 and 30. Simply click on the arrows to the side of the Lines window and a schematic diagram will show you which lines are included for each setting.

Next you must decide on the coins that you wish to use for the game. You can play from as little as 1 penny per line up to a maximum of £10. The Bet window to the right will show your total bet for the net spin, which is your coin multiplied by the number of active paylines. Keep adjusting these figures until you’re happy with your total bet, and then hit Spin, which you’ll find on the far right-hand side of the console. If you’d like to make use of the handy Autoplay feature, just click on the Autoplay button to the left of the Spin button - then make your selection from the Autospin menu to decide how many spins you’d like before you have to intervene. The reels will then spin automatically for your chosen number of spins, although you’re free to stop this feature at any time simply by pressing the Stop button that replaces Spin when the reels are in motion.

The game will draw your attention to winning lines by highlighting them, while animations within the symbols add another layer of excitement to the game. Now all you have to do is watch your virtual prize pot grow! With opportunities for stacked Wilds, you could reap some serious financial rewards if Lady Luck has you in her sights!

Shadow of the Panther Free Spins Bonus

When five or more Scatters appear across the reels - with the double Scatter counting as two Scatters - it triggers the start of a Free Spins Bonus Round. Five Scatters will reward you with five free games, six Scatters bring you seven free games, seven Scatters bring you ten free games and eight Scatters award you with fifteen free games. Any free games are automatically awarded, and the feature cannot be retriggered during free games.

Free spins start automatically once they’ve been triggered by the appropriate number of Scatters and are played across the same number of lines and at the same bet as the spin which triggered the Bonus round. However, the Free Spins are a one-off feature, so you can’t trigger more during the Bonus sound.

Shadow of the Panther Is Great for Players on a Budget

Although you’ll be playing Shadow of the Panther completely for free at Slots Temple, if you decide to head to an online casino to play the game for real money, you’ll find it an excellent starting point thanks to its low betting structure that allows you to wager very small sums of money.

High rollers are likely to be deterred by the low coin values, although there is certainly money to be made or those willing to bet higher stakes. And with Split Symbols and Stacked symbols to bring a higher element of fun to proceedings, there are plenty of chances to scoop a big win if you’re patient enough to wait for the symbols to fall in your favour.

About High 5 Gaming

As the creators and developers of Shadow of the Panther, High 5 Gaming have brought another top title to online casinos. Although they’re not the best-known brand for creating fun and entertaining online slots games to the public, they’ve gained a steady reputation for introducing innovative features that add maximum playability to their titles.

Founded in 1995, High 5 Gaming are probably best known for the always popular Da Vinci Diamonds online slots game, which has been going strong since 2008. In recent years the company has branched into the lucrative Asian market and now produces over 300 great slots games, with many of them appealing to women, who have so often been overlooked by online casino game creators.

Big Cats in the Wild

The black panther is a creature of legend and myth, with the panther appearing as a totem figure which has represented strength and power for many centuries.

Often thought to be a species of big cat, in fact the black panther is not actually a separate species at all, but is a black-coloured big cat, usually either a leopard or jaguar, and may or may not carry the distinctive markings of its big cat breeding lines within its black coat.

Although we tend to think of panthers as being completely black, in fact they can range in colour from very dark brown to black. Aside from the colour, each black panther conforms to the characteristics of its core species, aside from the Florida Panther which is found in the south east of the United States. The Florida Panther is unique in being an actual subspecies of the cougar family and has a unique speckled dark brown coat.

Black panthers can be found throughout Africa, Asia and both North and South America. Although powerful and strong, with an incredible ability to climb, panthers tend to be shy and elusive creatures, and many experts now believe that they are approaching endangered status, due mainly to a loss of habitat in the wild caused by widespread deforestation. Endlessly adaptable, the panther can be found in a wide range of habitats around the world, but is most often to be found living in grasslands, although panthers have been found in both deciduous and tropical forests as well as in mountains and deserts.

Although they are renowned for being incredibly agile and intelligent, panthers are rarely seen in the wild thanks to their innate suspicion of humans. The dark colour of their fur allows them to blend easily into the shadows, making it even harder to spot them under normal conditions. They also tend to lead a mainly nocturnal lifestyle, preferring to hunt for food during the hours of darkness and spending the daylight hours in sleeping, often high up in trees out of sight. Since they are most usually a species of jaguar or leopard, both of which are skilful climbers and very at home in trees, they blend easily into the canopy, making it difficult, if not impossible, to spot them.

Panthers tend to be extremely territorial and are always on the alert to attack other males, particularly if they believe that they are being threatened or that another male is in competition with them over females. A female panther, jaguar or leopard can give birth to mixed litters containing both normally marked big cats as well as black panthers. There tend to be around three cubs in a litter, although two or four cubs are also often seen, with a gestation period of three months. The black panther is born due to both parents carrying a recessive gene that gives the fur its black appearance.

Just like all other big cats, black panther cubs aren’t able to open their eyes until they reach the age of two weeks. At this time of life they are particularly susceptible to attacks from predators, with their most vulnerable times occurring when their mother hunts for food, which means leaving them alone. However, they grow quickly, and by the time they are just a few months old, the young panther cubs are able to accompany their mother on hunting trips, learning from her as she finds and kills prey. They remain with their mother until they are around two years old, at which time they leave to establish their own territory.

Like other members of the big cat family, panthers are carnivores, relying on hunting and killing prey in order to survive. They make excellent hunters since they choose mainly to hunt at night, when their black fur makes them invisible to other creatures. Whether hunting on the ground or ambushing their prey from a nearby tree, panthers are formidable predators, picking out targets from a wide array of prey animals, including deer, boar, tapir, antelope, warthogs, birds and even rabbits.

With the jaguar being the largest member of the big cat family to live in North and South America, it’s no surprise that the black panther is reputed to be the dominant predator in this part of the world. Further afield, in Asia and Africa, lions and hyenas have been known to prey on panthers, but in general the biggest threat to the panther is humans. Whether from trophy hunting or habitat destruction, the panther has suffered from man’s interference and is constantly being driven back into ever smaller packets of habitat, causing a decline in numbers which could threaten their very existence. They are so rarely seen that they are referred to the ‘ghost of the forest’, with the only sign that they are present being the occasional spoor on the ground and signs of claw marks on trees.

Jaguars and leopards are both listed as Threatened Species by conservation groups, and with the black panther occurring as the result of gene peculiarities in both parents, it’s only natural that their numbers are also in severe decline, with many experts already considering them to be an endangered species.

In general, the term black panther is used to refer to a black or dark brown jaguar or leopard, but the name has also been used to describe black versions of other big cats, including tigers, pumas, cougars, bobcats and lynxes. Revered for its strength and power, the black panther is also considered to be the most intelligent and most ferocious of all the big cats, which has led to its popularity as a mascot for team sports games. And since jaguars are known to enjoy swimming, black panthers from the jaguar family also enjoy this activity, although those with leopard genes dislike the water.

Black Panther Mythology

Although we know that black panthers are to be found across the Americas, Asia and Africa, there have been a number of unconfirmed sightings in much more unlikely places too - including Great Britain! In fact, reports suggest that there are more than 1000 reported sightings of ‘large black cats’ every single year in the UK. It’s been suggested that the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976 led to many newly regulated animals being released from captivity into the wild with the result that members of the public now frequently report sightings of panthers and other big cats.

But it’s not just within the UK that reports of big cats are so popular and widespread. Other sightings have occurred in Australia, where the Blue Mountains Panther has crossed over into urban legend. Some people claim that the Blue Mountains Panther descends from animals that had escaped from either a circus or a zoo, whilst others claim that black panthers escaped into the wilderness during the Second World War. Although it might seem implausible, there is scope for this rumour to hold a degree of truth, since the black panther was a popular military mascot for American soldiers stationed in Australia during wartime, so it’s feasible that one or more may have escaped into the bushland.

Stories about the black panther have been told for many centuries, dating back far into humanity’s history. According to a number of European mythologies, the panther was an incredibly fearsome multi-coloured animal that killed and ate numerous creatures before retreating into a cave to sleep for a period of three days and nights. On waking up, the terrifying creature would unleash a mighty roar - its breath was said to be so sweet that any animals living nearby would be drawn to investigate, only to disappear into the panther’s jaws. In fact, the panther was considered to be so fearsome that only the dragon was considered to be immune to its captivating sweet breath.

One particular panther drew attention to herself for a rather unique reason. Back in the 1980s, Glasgow Zoo managed to acquire a black panther from the leopard family. The 10-year old female suffered from a skin condition called vitiligo, which can also occur in humans, and it caused white hair to sprout in between the black ones, giving her the appearance of being covered with fine, white cobwebs. The effect was so striking that she became known as the ‘Cobweb Panther’, delighting crowds for many years until she was moved to Spain, where she was transferred to Madrid Zoo.

Strong, brave and inherently powerful, the black panther has become a byword for sports teams, particularly in the United States, where numerous team sports celebrate this impressive big cat. In fact, the panther is reckoned to be the most enduring and popular symbol across a wide variety of American sports, including baseball, basketball, football and ice hockey. Whether it appears as a mascot or as part of a team’s name, the panther is celebrated throughout US sports, with teams such as the Carolina Panthers representing football, the Pittsburgh Panthers using the big cat to name their athletic teams, the Florida Panthers excelling in ice hockey and the Milwaukee Panthers leading the field in basketball. There is no doubt that the big cat’s incredible power, strength, endurance, agility and grace have led to its popularity as a sporting mascot.

Two unique jaglion cubs were born at the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Canada in 2006. Born to a lioness called Lola, the father of the cubs was a black jaguar called Diablo, making them the first jaguar-lion cubs born in captivity. The unusual pairing occurred when Lola and Diablo arrived at the wildlife sanctuary within a short space of time and quickly formed a strong bond. Once the two cubs were separated they became incredibly distressed, with Lola refusing all offered food until she was reunited with her black jaguar friend. Eventually the staff at the wildlife centre decided that the two big cats needed to be reunited for their own good, never anticipating that the pair would go on to breed. The two cubs were the surprising result of the union: Tsunami, the male jaglion has tan-coloured fur with spots, while Jazhera, the female jaglion, is described as a charcoal-coloured panther.

According to Native North American mythology, the panther may be either evil or the bringer of good luck, according to the tribe. For many western tribes, the sight or sound of a panther was considered to be an evil omen, with the panther often reckoned to be allied to witchcraft in some way. However, eastern tribes tended to view the panther more favourably, seeing them as clan animals with great power that could be harnessed for medicines and for good fortune when on hunting expeditions. The panther is often reputed to be a leader of the animals, whilst in Southern America the panther tended to be viewed as a symbol of great wealth and good fortune, making it the most suitable subject for an online slots game that aims to provide the player with a winning prize pot.

The Legend of the Werecat

Everyone knows about werewolves and the mythology surrounding the bite of a wolf that causes the recipient to become a wolf during the full moon. What is less known is the legend surrounding werecats, which works on the same principle, only replacing the wolf element with that of a big cat.

In Europe, reports of people taking on the body of a cat were ruled as witchcraft, with many people reputedly burnt at the stake for such crimes. However, further afield the cats were bigger and the legends more complex.

Africa plays host to a number of legends surrounding the big cats, with werelions, wereleopards and werepanthers all said to exist alongside humans, with the cat/person hybrid often reported as being a deity, while lion/human hybrids were considered to be royalty.

Within mainland Asia, werecats were most usually depicted as tigers, which were believed to be sorcerers. Chinese legends report that werecats were either vindictive ghosts or the victims of a curse, with some Chinese stories indicating that someone killed by a tiger would become a malevolent spirit intent on encouraging more tigers to kill people.

Throughout Indonesia and Malaysia further legends describe werecats as demonic or vampiric, whilst in Java the werecat is a more friendly prospect, helping to guard plantations and protect them from being ravaged by wild pigs.

Mesoamerican cultures before Columbus arrived on the scene worshipped the were-jaguar, with priests and shaman practitioners using jaguar skins and masks to help them to ‘become’ the animal.

If You Enjoy Playing Shadows Of The Panther, You May Enjoy These Games
Online slots games are a matter of taste - what appeals to one player may not appeal to another, and just because you’ve enjoyed one jungle-themed game doesn’t necessarily mean that all such games will be as fun and entertaining. But we’ve trawled through a huge selection of available slots game titles in search of the games that we think offer the best entertainment and fun or our players, and we suggest that the following games are worth a look if you’re wondering what to try your hand at next.

What other slots might I like if I like Shadow of the Panther?

Jungle Jackpots

For a more light-hearted take on the jungle, you’ll want to give this fun-packed online slots game a spin or two. You’ll join Mowgli and his friends as they take on this five-reel slots game with 20 paylines and lots of attractive bonus features that will keep you occupied for hours as you uncover all the aspects of the gameplay.

Mowgli’s Wild Adventure triggers a choice of features according to the character that appears. Mowgli Wilds introduces the iconic character as he swings across the reels turning selected symbols wild to help you amass a virtual fortune. Hathi Expanding Wilds sees the elephant appear to turn entire reels wild. Kaa Locking Wilds sees Kaa symbols locked into place for repeat spins, as well as offering bonus spins and wilds. Monkey Mischief introduces a troop of monkeys to the reels, which they remove to reveal stacked symbols.

With a Baloo Cash Bonus appearing when bonus scatters appear on reels one and three, along with Baloo’s Cash Bonus on reel five, you get the chance to collect bonus money that falls from the Money Tree for an extra boost to your prize fund.

Mowgli’s Cash Trail Bonus occurs when you land bonus scatters on reels one and three along with Mowgli’s Cash Trail Bonus symbol on reel five. Baloo throws Mowgli up into the air, and the branch that he lands on denotes your cash multiplier. Help him to climb the tree, avoiding the vultures, to collect cash prizes. Pick the Golden Apple at the top of the tree and you’ll achieve another multiplier that could hit your winnings into the stratosphere.

Bagheera’s Free Spins Bonus comes into play when bonus scatters land on reels one and three, with the Baloo Colossal Spin icon on reel five. Throughout the Free Spins feature, the Bagheera Wild remains active on reel three, promising impressive wins. Winning symbols stay in place for re-spins with the potential to bring you massive rewards.

Baloo’s Colossal Spins Bonus happens when the bonus scatter on reels one and three is joined by the Baloo Colossal Spin icon on reel five. Extra-large symbols appear on the reels with the potential to create massive wins if your luck is in.

With such an excellent selection of bonus games, as well as a handy ‘Gamble’ feature, we’re prepared to bet that you’ll enjoy playing Jungle Jackpots whenever you’ve got some free time to spare.

Gonzo’s Quest

If you like your slots games with a healthy dose of fun, then you’ll love playing Gonzo’s Quest. Brought to you by NetEnt, a company with a great reputation for providing players with games with that elusive ‘playability’ factor, Gonzo’s Quest features an endearing main character, stunning graphics and an impressive soundtrack which whisks you away to the heart of the jungle.

As you scour the Peruvian jungle in search of lost treasures, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this action-packed online slots game, which features Avalanche Multipliers that offer exceptional opportunities to scoop a major jackpot win.

Disclaimer: Shadow of the Panther trademark / license is owned by High 5. This site is not endorsed by High 5.